After being unconscious for thirty minutes, Sherryn slowly opened her eyes.
"Ughh… my head…" she murmured weakly.
Her head felt heavy, her vision still blurry. Her eyelids fluttered slowly as she tried to regain focus.
In the dimly lit room, only the moonlight streaming through a large window illuminated the space. Shades of violet and blue wrapped the room in a calm yet ominous atmosphere.
Right in front of that grand window stood a tall, broad-shouldered man, his back to Sherryn. He wore a long black coat that draped down to his calves, staring silently at the night sky where the full moon shone perfectly on the horizon. His silhouette looked imposing, but it radiated an unspoken fury.
Even in the low light, Sherryn had no trouble recognizing him. That aura, that familiar build all of it was unmistakable.
Yes, it was Eilghy.
The man who had always been so close to her.
Sitting in a lone chair at the center of the room, Sherryn tried to move her hands, which felt heavy behind her back. She quickly realized they were cuffed and so were her legs.
Lowering her head, her hair falling to cover part of her face, she spoke in a weak but sharp voice, "Let me go."
Eilghy did not answer right away. After a moment, he turned toward Sherryn and said, his voice flat and cold, "I only wanted to talk to you."
"There's nothing for us to talk about," Sherryn shot back.
"Hahaha." Eilghy let out a bitter laugh, a twisted smirk tugging at his lips. His piercing blue eyes shimmered faintly with tears, rimmed with red, brimming with disappointment and rage.
The sound of his polished shoes echoed on the floor. Despite the storm of emotions in his heart, his appearance remained impeccable a formal suit, tie neatly in place.
Tak… Tak… Tak… The sound of Eilghy's footsteps.
"You always say 'there's nothing to talk about,' as if you've never wronged me," he said, stepping closer to Sherryn.
"Sherryn Zesafelsgray, I just want to hear your reason. I'm sure this isn't your—"
"No! This is all my will! My choice!" Sherryn cut him off sharply, furrowing her brows and lifting her chin toward him, her beautiful face flushed as she fought back tears.
Hearing her firm response so different from the answer he had hoped for Eilghy lowered his head, his voice breaking. "If this was truly your choice, why did you make me fall in love with you? And yet suddenly, you're engaged to another man under your real name…"
Sherryn spoke softly, her gaze shifting downward. "Because I love him."
Eilghy stepped closer until he stood right before her, reaching out his veined yet graceful hand to lift her chin, forcing her to look up at him.
"All this time you were with me. How could you love someone you've only just met?" he asked.
"I knew him long before I met you!" she replied, her serious eyes locking onto Eilghy's handsome face.
"Am I so insignificant to you? Am I so unworthy of your love?" Eilghy's eyes reddened even further.
With steady resolve, Sherryn said, "Eilghy Von Dyroon, I've told you countless times 'Never fall in love with me!'"
Eilghy exhaled, brushing back his dark hair to reveal his striking forehead.
"Ha… Have you ever had your life stolen from you? Have you ever been betrayed by someone who meant everything to you? When you revealed your true identity, did you not think how shattered I'd be? Do you even have a heart, a conscience?" he asked, his anger barely holding back his tears.
Sherryn knew this confrontation was inevitable. Guilt and sorrow tore at her as she looked away, struggling to hold back her own tears. "I warned you, but you were so selfish. You insisted on feeling this way about me. If you hadn't, you wouldn't have hoped for or expected anything."
Tears finally welled in Eilghy's eyes, spilling down as he whispered in bitter anguish, "Do you think I can change my feelings at will? If I could, I'd rather kill you than love you."
Hearing the tremor in his voice, Sherryn could no longer hold back her own tears.
To escape the guilt crawling through her body, she tried to steady herself. "Ck… I was wrong, but it's not too late for you to start something new something that will make you happy." Her soft cheeks were wet with tears as she spoke.
Eilghy, crushed by her words, reached a grim conclusion: Sherryn truly didn't care about him.
"Fine. Kidnapping you was pointless if all I get are worthless words like these."
He stepped back from her.
"And if that's how you think…"
"…Then it's better for the both of us to die here, and start something new."
Suddenly, Eilghy pulled a pistol from his coat and aimed it at Sherryn.
Her eyes widened in shock. She had always known Eilghy to be reckless, but she never imagined he would go this far.
The air grew thick with tension. Sherryn's heart pounded violently as Eilghy leveled the gun at her with blazing fury. She wondered to herself would he really pull the trigger?